Highguard
Highguard The Kingdom of the North is a vast land of green hills and ancient monoliths. The weather is colder than in the rest of The Navel and, even though the earth is quite fecund, there is not much variety in crops and vegetation. Forests are mostly comprised of pine, oak and redwood trees, but there is also a high incidence of hazelnut, chestnut and walnut trees, especially in the northernmost area. In the middle and southern sections of the realm, people grow mostly wheat, rye, oat and barley, while in the north the land is not inclined to produce much more than carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic. All over the kingdom it is also possible to find berries of various sorts, especially in the middlelands. Cattle is mostly comprised of sheep in the north, but some do keep cows in the south and middle areas. Horses are available everywhere, but not easily maintained. The northerners are a noble-spirited people, although sometimes considered to be over patriotic and zealous of their land. Their country is divided in four areas: the southeast, the southwest, the middlelands and the north. The Southeast No other place of Highguard is as xenophobic as the southeast. That is not without reason, however. The people of this area live under constant attack from ashland skirmishers. Whenever a raid takes place in highguardian territory, a reprisal is sure to come, which has made this region a stage for an unending tribal war. At times, the local conflict has escalated to a national proportion, but this has not happened in the past two decades. The southeast of Highguard is a relatively dry area. Mountains are somewhat taller than in the rest of the country and strongholds have been built in key access points to deter any enemy assault. As a consequence, ashland raiding parties have been forced to take dangerous paths through the steep mountains and often have never reached their goal, nor come back to their home country. The family responsible for this region is House Wyman, who are famous for being the only northerners to favour axes other than swords. Some say that in the old days the southeast of Highguard and the north of Ashland were home to a single people that later found themselves under the rule of different monarchies. Being that as it may, the enmity between them is as ancient as men can recall. The symbol of House Wyman is a double axe over a field of green. The Southwest The southwest of Highguard faces a similar situation to that of north Whitestone: while there is little threat of war between the two countries, crime originating from The Ring has only increased in the past few decades to an alarming degree. On top of that, there is the issue with the whitestonean villages that wish to join Highguard, even though the highguardian authorities show no interest in them. While that problem has been consistently dealt with through diplomacy between the two kingdoms, on a local scale it has generated some heated sentiments on the populace of both sides of the border. The family in charge of this area is House Balston, whose sigil bears a shield on top of a green field. They have earned the privilege of calling themselves Lords of Southwest Highguard after The Claw War, when they successfully held their position and prevented the clawmen from advancing to the north on land. Ultimately, even though they could not deter the invaders from taking to the sea, they bought the realm valuable time for a united armed response. The Middlelands The middlelands are arguably the most appealing area of Highguard. The weather is cold, but not so cold that it becomes uncomfortable. The days break slowly, dissipating the mist from the valleys to reveal a clear blue sky over the hills. This is the most fertile region of the country and it is responsible for stockpiling food for the winter to supply the whole kingdom. This was as far as the clawmen ever made up north. They thought that this tranquil place would be easy enough to take over, but they did not count on the forests that permeate the land like a maze. The locals at the time were led by the Ellwood family, who later earned their nobility status and the right to call themselves the lords of this region. Through craft and wits, they were able to decimate the invaders with fast attacks from the woods, depleting their numbers and cutting off their supply lines. For their likeness with the fox, they chose the animal for their sigil, red on a black field. The North The north houses the royal castle of Highguard, a massive and rustic structure of stone and wood on top of a rocky hill. From its towers it is possible to spot the sea and the capital. The reason why the two of them are not together dates five hundred years back in the past, when House Orrick challenged House Siver for the right to rule over Highguard. The former was victorious, leaving the latter deprived of its regal status. Notwithstanding, the Orrick family did not wish to move from their castle to the capital, but preferred to remain where they were and govern the nation from there. This would probably have been the worst possible move to take if this were any other country than Highguard, for indeed its people are so bound to honour and order that even with their rulers away from the capital there has never been any attempt to overthrow them. Another result of this action was that the highguardians became less of a seafaring people than they had been under the rule of House Siver, whose sigil is a ship's helm over a blue field. Not surprisingly, House Orrick's banner depicts a black fortress on a half green half blue field. The capital city is still to this day mostly controlled by House Siver. It is a large city, sometimes referred to as Finalport, but compared to any other capital it would seem to be bleak, misty and bland. Buildings are simple and practical, made of stone and wood and designed to last, not to be easy on the eyes. Being a fisherman here is a risky business, since the water is so cold you are certain to die if you end up in the ocean. The most prized catches are herring, salmon and cod, Further Information Northerners often dress with furs and skins. Their land is rich with deer, wolves, bears, foxes and other animals whose pelts make ideal cold-oriented garments. Half-plates and chainmail is quite common in the realm, but so is leather armour among those with fewer resources or who simply wish more mobility. Women tend to wear simple dresses, which would be deemed quite bland by any other people's standards. Men's clothing in the north are no more appealing or inspired than their females'. The favoured weapon of the realm is the sword, especially the longer varieties, such as the bastard sword and the claymore. Northerners do not rely overly much on shields, except those in the south, who are entrusted with defending the land and, for that reason, are more prone to learning how to shield themselves. Bows are quite common as well, both for hunting and for the defence of castles. While attacking, however, northerners often prefer a more direct approach, probably because their bows are too large and unwieldly for horseback archery or any other kind of mobility-reliant tactics. For their physical description, please refer to Physiological Traits.